


The Traitor

by 391780 (goblinparty)



Series: Cold Wind [22]
Category: Fargo (2014)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 19:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3459068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goblinparty/pseuds/391780
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dossier in Numbers' lap was thicker than normal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Traitor

The dossier in Numbers' lap was thicker than normal. A Mr. Aaron Pike had been, at one point, a vital asset to Fargo's sister syndicate in central Texas, and when he disappeared with a couple hundred thousand dollars in cash, they were more than happy to turn over everything they had on him. Numbers skimmed through the paperwork, taking note of all the skills Pike had that he could use against them. He seemed like a good marksman, decent enough with a blade, and an excellent escape artist. Fuck, that last part could definitely be a problem. He felt two insistent taps on his shoulder, and turned to see Wrench gesture towards a man strolling down the street towards them. A man whose blonde hair, deep set eyes, and scarred jaw was all over their paperwork. Numbers snapped the file shut and nodded to Wrench, who leaned down to release the trunk latch as Numbers exited the car. He and Wrench lifted the trunk open, and Wrench smoothed down the tarp lining, trying to look busy until Numbers gave him the cue. Numbers watched Pike come closer and closer, clearly distracted by the cell phone in his hands.

“Excuse me, sir, could you tell me the time?” Pike stopped moving, briefly flicked his grey eyes up at Numbers and back to the screen in his hands.

“A little past-” Numbers didn't give him time to finish the sentence. He snatched the phone and shoved Pike into Wrench, who enveloped him in a bear-hug right before forcing him into the trunk. Numbers slammed down the trunk lid and hurried to the passenger seat, hoping they could get moving before anyone noticed the loud screams and banging coming from the trunk. Wrench slid into the driver's seat beside him, and quickly turned over the engine and got the car moving, throwing a wink at Numbers who rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Pike's cell phone. Multiple text messages, all in code, all from an anonymous number. He figured it was just the sort of thing Fargo would want, so he slipped it in his coat and turned his attention out the window, watching people and cars go by as they left the city and headed out into the woods.

\---

It was dark before they reached the cabin. It was the perfect place to hold a prisoner, as it was so secluded that even the most persistent screams couldn't be heard by civilians. Numbers and Wrench sat in the car for a moment with the dome light on as they went over strategy.

_According to the files, he's got a lot of experience escaping situations like this. We can't fuck this up, we need to be extra careful._ Wrench solemnly nodded in agreement.

_So we open the trunk, knock him out, get him chained up, and THEN we drag him to the cabin. Right?_

_Right. We want him secured as soon as possible._ Numbers nodded to the cabin.  _It's all ready in there?_ Wrench grinned. 

_Hammer and I came out last weekend, we got it all prepped for guests before we left. It's ready._

_Excellent. Let's do this._ Wrench nodded, and they both stepped out into the cold and rounded on the trunk. It was hard to see in the red glow of the tail lights, but Numbers could still make out the look of intense concentration Wrench always put on right before getting to work. His partner's eyes met his, and he lifted the lid of the trunk quickly as Wrench bore down on Pike, socking him the the temple with the butt of his pistol with a vicious crack. Numbers pulled the zip ties out of his coat and secured Pike's arms in legs thoroughly, binding around his ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows tightly. Wrench pulled the large, unconscious man out of the trunk, throwing him into the snow with a loud thud before grabbing his feet and dragging him up to the cabin, leaving a trail in the snow behind him. Numbers went ahead and unlocked the door of the one-room cabin, swinging it open in time for Wrench to carelessly drag Pike up the steps. His head smacked loudly against the wood, and it caused Numbers to grin wickedly. He flipped on the lights in time to see Wrench looping a thick iron chain through a D-ring that was bolted to the ball, locking it securely in place before wrapping it snugly around Pike's neck and locking it with a heavy-duty padlock. There was a thin, ratty mattress next to the unconscious man's body, covered in stains and clearly very uncomfortable.

_Couldn't even put him on the bed, huh?_ Numbers teased. Wrench rolled his eyes.

_I don't give a shit about his comfort, he's a traitor. Besides, it's gonna be fun watching him squirm around trying to get on top of it._ Wrench grinned, and Numbers chuckled. Wrench didn't show off his mean streak often, but when he did it amused Numbers to no end. Numbers felt his jacket pocket buzz and pulled out Pike's phone. 1 new message, still entirely in code. Numbers sighed and put it back in his jacket.

_I need to call Aussie. Pike's phone has a bunch of coded shit and he'll want to know about it._ Wrench nodded.

_OK. I'll pull the ground beef out of the freezer and get something going while I keep an eye on this asshole._ He nodded towards the large, bound, unconscious man slumped on the floor. Numbers gestured a quick  _thanks_ and settled in on the futon, unplugging the TTY and connecting the landline telephone before dialing in Aussie's number. He had just started to wonder who on earth Wrench would call right as Aussie picked up.

“What.”

“It's Numbers, we've got our guest here, but he's got something I think you'll want to see.” He heard Aussie sigh heavily.

“Which is?”

“A cell phone full of coded text messages sent and received from a North Dakota area code.” There was a long pause, and Numbers wondered for a moment if they'd been disconnected before Aussie spoke again.

“Tell me where you are. I'm coming over.”

\---  
_Well?_ Wrench shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows from over by the stove as Numbers replaced the receiver.

_The Aussie is coming. Should be here in a little while._ He rubbed the back of his neck. Whatever was going on, it was going to be a very long night. Wrench's eyebrows rocketed upwards, and he looked into the frying pan.

_Suppose I'll need more beef, then._ Numbers smiled at him. It was strange and delightful to see this bear of a man being so domestic. It could only be cuter if he was wearing an apron with a silly phrase on it like 'kiss the cook'. Wrench pulled another package of ground beef from the fridge and dumped it into the large pan, causing a loud hiss and a billow of steam. Numbers waved to get his attention.

_I saw your TTY was plugged in, who are you calling?_ Wrench looked immediately sheepish.

_Don't get mad._ Numbers cocked an eyebrow. That was never a good way to start a conversation.  _I called Letters._ Numbers blinked in surprise and furrowed his brows.

_Why are you calling her?_

_She's your oldest friend. Best friend. I wanted to know her better, wanted her to know me too. We're both a part of your life, I figure we might as well be friends. Plus, she's seeing my brother, and she doesn't sign, so it's the only way we can really talk together._ He shrugged.  _Sorry if that's weird._ Numbers didn't have much time to reply before being distracted by Pike waking up and groaning loudly.

_Game time. But don't think this conversation is over._ Wrench rolled his eyes and snorted while Numbers stepped closer to Pike, kneeling down next to his face.

“Welcome to the party, Mr. Pike. Or do you prefer Aaron?”

“I prefer not to be chained up and bound like a goddamn animal.” Numbers flashed a toothy smile and patted his captive's cheek.

“And I'm sure Abilene would prefer not being ripped off by their own assets. Yet here we are.” He stood back up and strode into the kitchen. He didn't even get four paces away before Pike called after him.

“That's it? No ripping out my fingernails, no cutting me up, no interrogation? What the fuck is going on here, did Fargo go soft?” Numbers slowly turned on his heel. Pike was trying to goad him into doing something stupid, and he wasn't about to get played. He flashed the most sinister looking smile he could muster.

“And deny Abilene the pleasure? Or, rather, their emissaries from Los Zetas that are coming allllll the way up here to get you?” Pike grew pale and very quiet at the mention of Los Zetas, and Numbers winked at him and turned back to Wrench. 

_How's food coming along?_

_About done. I'm not feeding him, though._

_He's a dead man anyways, it'd be a waste of good food._ Numbers settled into the hard wooden chair by the table, and saw Wrench turn his head suddenly to look out the front window. He followed his partner's gaze and saw headlights streaming through the cloudy windowpanes from outside. The lights quickly turned off, and Numbers could have sworn he heard the faint sounds of the Australian swearing at the cold weather right before he clambered inside.

“Evening, all. Mr. Numbers, I believe you've got something for me?” Numbers pulled the phone out of his jacket and placed it on the table, watching Pike's eyes grow huge at the sight of his cell phone in the hands of Fargo men. Aussie sat himself down next to Numbers and scrolled through the text messages, squinting at the code and muttering unintelligibly under his breath before turning in his seat to face Pike.

“You've been a real naughty boy, haven't you? How long has this been going on, then?” Pike set his jaw and looked away, and Aussie sighed. “What a bloody mess.” Wrench set down a few plates of some beef stroganoff Hamburger Helper in front of Numbers and Aussie, which earned him a couple of weary, grateful smiles.

_Thank you, friend._ Aussie signed clumsily, earning him a nod and genuine smile from Wrench. “I got that right, then?”

“Yeah, that was pretty good.” Numbers pointed to the phone on the table. “So what do we have here? A mole?”

“Seems that way. These idiots think they're gonna steal from Fargo and start up their own syndicate. Fucking laughable, considering they're using basic ROT1 code. Bloody schoolchildren could figure it out.” He shoveled a forkful of pasta and beef into his mouth. 

“Who's the rat, then?”

“Mr. Kite. Such potential, totally wasted. Ah well.” Aussie sighed heavily and continued eating. Numbers noticed Wrench staring at him, patiently waiting to be clued in as to what was going on. Numbers put down his fork.

_Mr. Kite is a traitor. Been working with this moron_ He pointed towards Pike  _...to try to steal from Fargo, set up their own syndicate. Apparently the code is just the letter substitution kind, Aussie cracked it pretty fast. So now we wait for the Mexicans to show up and pay us, and then we go after Kite._ Wrench shook his head in disbelief.

_These guys must be total idiots. Nobody fucks with Fargo and lives._

_Yeah, well apparently they're gonna make us prove it to them._ Numbers and Wrench chuckled together and returned to their food. Aussie smirked to himself.

“You know, I can see why this partnership works so well. It's bloody unnerving having a conversation happen like that in front of me without knowing what the fuck is going on.”

“Imagine how Wrench feels _all the damn time_.” Numbers mumbled through a mouthful of food.

“Fair point.” Aussie's pocket began to ring, and he excused himself from the room, talking a million miles an hour into his cell phone, leaving Wrench and Numbers with their captive.

“Guys, I gotta take a leak so bad. Help me out here, you can't possibly gain anything from letting me piss myself. Come on.” Numbers rolled his eyes and turned to Wrench.

_He says he's gotta take a piss, he's threatening to pee on your floors._ Wrench wrinkled his nose in a look of disgust.

_Like hell he is. Drag him out to that frozen outhouse and let him do it there._ Aussie stepped back into the cabin, knocking snow from his boots, watching the flurry of hands.

“We alright in here?” 

“I need to piss, man.” Came the reply from the man on the floor. Aussie rolled his eyes and sighed. 

“One of us takes him out in the snow on his little leash, then, yeah?” Numbers nodded, and Aussie pulled the switchblade out of his jacket and waved it in front of Pike's nose. “You try anything stupid and I'll bury this in your eye. Got it?” 

“Come on, man, just hurry, I'm gonna burst.” With a few quick movements, the zip ties were cut as Numbers unlocked the chain from the wall, handing the thick iron links to Aussie, who grumpily accepted it.

“All right, then. March.” He kicked at Pike's legs, and followed the chained man outside into the dark. Numbers started to follow when he noticed Wrench digging around under the sink. He tapped his partner on the shoulder.

_What are you doing?_

_Looking for a bucket. It'll be easier if we can get him a bucket to use in the future. That way we won't have to unchain him again._ Numbers nodded thoughtfully, but was quickly distracted by a strangled scream from outside. He rushed out the door, followed closely by Wrench, and found Aussie face-down in the snow. Alone. Tracks in the thick snow led further into the dark woods, and Pike was nowhere to be seen. Numbers shook Aussie back to consciousness.

“Fuck- fucker Slave Leia'd me!” Aussie rasped out. Numbers looked to Wrench, who had a feral snarl on his face.

“Hey, hey listen to me, do we need this guy in one piece? Is that part of the agreement?” Aussie blinked stupidly a few times before it registered, then a cruel grin spread across his face.

“Bring back as many pieces as you like. All they said was 'alive'.” Numbers turned to Wrench.

_You and Hammer still keep a snowmobile out here?_ Wrench pointed to a small shack behind the cabin.

_Woodshed._

_Get it ready. I'll take this idiot inside, grab some weapons, and we'll get this prick._ Wrench wordlessly left to warm up the engine while Numbers helped Aussie back inside, sitting him on the futon and throwing a thick quilt on him before retrieving their coats, a few weapons, and a flashlight, and heading back out to meet Wrench. Wrench sat on the snowmobile, scanning the treeline intently as he waited to Numbers. He had plenty of practice tracking, and an underdressed man in the deep snow was going to be easy. He felt Numbers tap his coat and looked over to see him holding Wrench's thicker jacket.

_How thoughtful._

_Shut up. Let's go get this prick._ Numbers climbed on behind Wrench, wrapping his arms around his partner and burying his face in his back. With a jolt, they headed out cautiously into the snow, following the deep footprints of their quarry. It didn't take long to find where the trail had stopped right under a tree. The headlights illuminated the forest enough that Numbers could just barely make out the figure of a man perched in the tree.

“I see you, Pike. That's a terrible owl impression. Don't make me shoot you down.” A weak laugh came from the branches.

“You can't blame a guy for trying, can you?” 

“No, but it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. Get down here or I'm opening fire.” Numbers cocked his weapon, the sound echoing through the trees. Branches creaked as Pike hurriedly climbed down, landing with a thud in the snow before raising his hands up in surrender. Wrench quickly dismounted the snowmobile and promptly pinned Pike by the neck against the tree, choking him into unconsciousness and draping his limp body over the seat before sitting on him. Numbers chuckled to himself. That was certainly one way to ensure he wouldn't escape again.

They returned to the cabin, Pike's unconscious body slung over Wrench's shoulder. Wrench dropped him hard on the floor, intentionally missing the mattress again, which caused Aussie to laugh. 

“God I am so tempted to slash his Achilles tendons right about now. Fucking stupid of me, going out into the dark alone with him like that.” He sipped a mug of coffee.

“I was going to follow you out, but I got distracted talking to Wrench. Sorry. I'm terrible backup.” Aussie shrugged.

“He's back, that's all that matters, right? And Los Zetas will be here soon for the trade-off, so he won't be our problem anymore.” Wrench finished zip-tying Pike and reconnecting his chain to the wall, and turned to Numbers.

_Now what?_

_Now we wait for the Mexicans to come claim their prize. Aussie made coffee, if you want any._ Wrench nodded a thanks to Aussie and poured himself a cup, sipping thoughtfully while leaning against the counter. He thought back to when Fargo had implemented the rule of needing partners, and at first he'd been angry because he thought they believed he couldn't do the job alone, but with the events of that night it became obvious that, hearing or Deaf, everyone needed backup in a job this dangerous. He watched Numbers talk to Aussie, and mused how even his personal life required backup. He smiled into his mug and thought about how nice it would be once they were able to get back home and sleep in their bed instead of chasing thieving assholes through the woods at all hours of the night. 

A few hours of card games and coffee later, headlights began crawling up the long driveway. Wrench watched the small parade of large black SUV's approach his cabin, and he tucked a handgun into the back of his jeans as a precaution. Sometimes in tradeoffs, one party decides it's more convenient to kill everyone and avoid paying. Several large men, bundled up as if they were arctic explorers, approached the cabin door and knocked. Aussie jumped to his feet to open the door, and Pike began to beg.

“You don't have to do this! Guys! We can work this out! I'm sorry about before, please just-” Numbers kicked him swiftly in the jaw, ending his protests with an anguished whimper. The door swung open and two men bundled in thick parkas with tattooed faces stepped inside. They looked at Pike, lying on the floor, eyes wide with fear, and they sniggered and muttered something to each other in low voices.

“Fellas!” said Aussie in a chipper tone. “I believe a trade is in order.” One of the men turned to face outside the open door and made a quick jerking movement with his arm, and a third man carrying an overlarge black duffel bag that seemed to be almost to heavy for him to carry. He dropped it to the ground with a thud so hard Wrench felt it in his feet. He looked to Numbers with raised eyebrows, only to be met with a devilish smile in return. The duffel bag was opened, exposing a large amount of cash and cocaine inside. 

“Excellent. Let's get your new friend loaded into your car and you and I can work out the finer points of this trade.” Aussie gestured towards the larger of the two men, who nodded in response. Numbers quickly unlocked the chain from Pike's neck and got him upright, shoving the bound man towards a tattooed man who laughed as Pike immediately lost his balance and fell to the floor with a crash. Wrench picked up Pike off the floor and swung him over his shoulder, following the laughing tattooed man outside to his large SUV and shoved Pike in the backseat. The tattooed man clapped Wrench on the shoulder and said something, causing Wrench to shake his head and furrow his brow.

“El esta más sordo que una tapia.” Aussie strolled up behind them, accented Spanish rolling off his tongue, placing his hand on Wrench's shoulder. 

“¿ Lo dice en serio?”

“Si.” Aussie shrugged, and the tattooed man looked Wrench up and down for a moment before laughing and shrugging. The men from Los Zetas climbed into their SUV's without further incident, and the three men from Fargo watched as they rolled away with Mr. Aaron Pike into the dark. 

“I didn't know you spoke Spanish.” chimed in Numbers.

“Not surprising, you barely remember I've got a bloody name. _Aussie._ Honestly, how would you like it if I called you _Yankee_?”

“I'd be confused, considering everyone else you work with is an American. We'd all have the same nickname.” Aussie scoffed and shook his head as they all headed back inside. Aussie pulled out a few thick stacks of cash and tossed them to Wrench and Numbers. “Your cut. I'll get this shit loaded up and we can be on our merry way.” Wrench tapped Numbers on the shoulder.

_It's late. Let's stay here the night, we can go home in the morning._

_You want me to invite Aussie to stay too?_

_You could, but it's a one room cabin and considering my plans for you, it'd get weird._ Numbers face suddenly felt warm and he could tell he was turning red.

“We'll, ah, stay here the night. Get some rest before hitting the road again.” Aussie eyed him skeptically, then shrugged.

“Suit yourselves, I guess. See you back at the office.” He grunted and hoisted the duffel bag onto his shoulder, trudging slowly out to his car and disappearing in the night.

\---  
A few days later, Numbers scrolled through his emails when he noticed an email from Aussie. It contained a link to an article about a man who had been found with over twenty knives sticking out of his body and the words “traidor asqueroso” carved into his arms. He waved Wrench over and waited for him to finish reading the article over his shoulder before enlarging the photo. It was a gruesome scene, to be sure, but both men were most transfixed by the very familiar face and blonde hair. The rest of the email was blank except for the words “Kite's next.”

 


End file.
